Chapter 10 Environmental Science study guide

threatened species have a declining population and could become endangered and endangered species will become extinct if not protected

example of a endangered species

Florida panther

number of living organisms estimated to be on Earth

about 10 million both known and unknown

most effective way to slow the loss of biodiversity

create large parks/preserves in biodiversity hotspots

part of the world where the greatest numbers of extinctions are occuring

tropical rain forests

What happened to the California Condor

the condor was near extinction but is making a comeback due to captive breeding

environmental laws in the US vs. the world

US has the strongest environmental laws in the world

percentage of species that will become extinct by the end of the century

25%

4 main points of the Endangered Species Act

USFWS (United States Fish & Wildlife service) must make a list of endangered species; no part of an endangered/threatened species can be caught/killed/sold/traded; no projects that could hurt endangered species can be carried out; USFWS must have a species recovery plan

cause of most current extinctions

human activities

#1 cause of extinctions

habitat destruction

why is habitat destruction #1 cause of extinctions?

because organisms are adapted to survive in a particular environment

3 levels of biodiversity

genetic, species, ecosystem

genetic biodiversity

different genes within all members of a population

species biodiversity

differences in populations of species

ecosystem biodiversity

varieties of habitats and communities

Which level of biodiversity is the typical type?

species biodiversity

purpose of a germ-plasm bank

store genetic material of plants and animals

biodiversity hotspot

area of high biodiversity that if damaged would endanger many species

3 areas worldwide that are biodiversity hotspots

tropical rain forests, islands, coral reefs

3 specific examples of biodiversity hotspots in the United states

California, Hawaii, Florida

How can zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens help save species?

preserving the threatened species from destruction and by participating in captive breeding programs

Poaching

illegal hunting

example of poaching

elephant

keystone species

species that is critically important to an ecosystem

example of a keystone species

sea otter

Why are biologists uncertain about how many species are living on Earth today?

many species have not been studied because environments are hard to get to

2 main benefits of protecting entire ecosystems

able to protect many species at a time and keeps ecosystem healthy

How do invasive species threaten ecosystems?

overpopulate and compete for resources with native species/native species may have no natural predators